This semester, a random sampling of 3,500 Fresno State students will receive e-mails requesting they participate in a survey regarding their alcohol habits.

The data collected from the anonymous survey will be used in the design of the next Fresno State alcohol awareness poster. These are the posters that have statements like “Most Fresno State students only have 0-3 drinks when they party,â€Â or “8 out of 10 eat before and/or while drinking,â€Â and are posted on bulletin boards all around campus.

The wording behind the message is based on something called “social norms methodologyâ€Â which says that certain behaviors happen because others believe “everyone is doing it.â€Â The way to change the behavior is to change student perceptions about what happens, according the National Social Norms Institute’s Web site.

The National Social Norms Institute awarded a grant to Fresno State in 2001 that kick-started the Alcohol Awareness Council, which organizes the posters and surveys, and also some alcohol-free events on campus.

The survey is conducted every spring, and the goal is to develop at least two new posters each semester based on the results. The surveys, designed by the American College Health Association, are sent to students through their Fresno State e-mail accounts. They ask about a number of topics besides alcohol use, such as mental health, drug use and nutrition.

The survey is voluntary, but students who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing for one of three $100 prizes.

Diana Traje, a project assistant and graduate student seeking her master̢۪s degree in public health, said the council tries to change the design and the message so that students will notice.

Traje said they look at the data and “see which statistics will have an impact.â€Â

The process behind the posters is a collaborative one. Cherie Pettitt, project director and a health educator at the Health Center, said that the council will sit down and try to come up with ideas for the posters.

But they also work with graphic design classes on campus, asking students to help design the posters. Students whose work is chosen are rewarded with either cash or gift certificates to the Kennel bookstore.

The council also repeatedly surveys students about the posters̢۪ effectiveness.

“We ask questions like ‘Does it appeal to you?’ and ‘Do you believe it?’â€Â Pettitt said. She added the council wanted to know about students’ opinions “all the way from the message to the design.â€Â